Theft of checks: A woman reported Oct. 23 that someone stole her checkbook from her apartment in the 1000 block of Seventh Avenue Southwest. The woman noticed a $125 check on her bank statement for a transaction she didn’t make. The check, which had a forged signature, was cashed in St. Paul.

Theft: Employees at Taco Bell, 1279 Broadway Ave. W., reported about 8:30 p.m. Oct. 23 that someone stole a gumball machine. They saw a dark Honda pull up in front of the store. A man jumped out of the car, grabbed the machine, got back in the car and left. They weren’t able to record the car’s license plate.

Indecent exposure: A woman walking along Everton Avenue North, south of the 2000 block of Broadway Avenue West, reported about 7 a.m. Oct. 30 that a man exposed his genitals to her. He fled, and police couldn’t find him.

Theft: A 69-year-old Ham Lake woman called Forest Lake police about 8:30 a.m. Oct. 30 to report that her purse was missing after she had shopped the previous day at Wal-Mart, 200 12th St. S.W. The woman said she last remembered having the purse at the store’s counter and noticed it missing on her trip home. The purse contained identification, credit cards and a wallet.

Theft from vehicle: An employee of McCullough Mini Storage, 20335 Forest Blvd. N., reported about 9:15 a.m. Oct. 30 that several well-drilling trucks in the company’s lot had been broken into the previous night. The employee said she thought she saw several flashlights in the lot during the night.

Found property: A debit card was found Oct. 30 on Forest Boulevard North and was traced to a Forest Lake woman who said her purse was stolen Sept. 29 at the Forest Laker, 131 Lake St. N. She didn’t report the theft. The Coach purse, worth about $350, also contained a cell phone and $150 in cash. The empty purse was recovered in early October.

Golf cart theft: Employees at Castlewood Golf Course, 7050 Scandia Trail N., reported Oct. 30 that a golf cart worth about $4,000 had been stolen. The employees count the carts at the beginning of the day and discovered one missing that morning.

Theft: A 20-year-old man reported about 8:30 a.m. Oct. 31 that someone broke into his car while it was parked in the 200 block of Ninth Avenue Southwest. Items taken included a DVD-CD player, an amplifier and automotive tools. Total loss was between $5,000 and $10,000.

Burglary: A 22-year-old woman reported about 1:45 p.m. Oct. 31 that someone cut the lock off the storage unit in the basement of her apartment in the 20000 block of Forest Boulevard. A computer, boxes of clothing and other items were stolen.

Theft: Employees at Holiday Stationstore, 1208 Broadway Ave. W., reported about 1 a.m. Nov. 1 that a man came into the store, asked for cigarettes, then fled on foot without paying. A female employee chased him and stopped him about a block from the store. Officers arrived on the scene and cited the 22-year-old North Branch man, who appeared to be intoxicated, on suspicion of misdemeanor shoplifting and fleeing an officer.

Possession of a controlled substance: A 36-year-old Chisago City man was arrested about 1:15 p.m. Nov. 1 for felony possession of drug paraphernalia and felony possession of narcotics in the 21000 block of Forest Boulevard North. Police had received several reports of a suspicious white motor home with aqua trim parked in a parking lot. When officers arrived, they saw a man walking from the motor home and stopped and searched him. Police reported that he was holding a bundle with a hypodermic needle and two substances, one that appeared to be black tar heroin and another of white powder that appeared to be cocaine.

Vandalism: Police responded to a report about 9 p.m. Nov. 1 of graffiti spray-painted on a building in the 100 block of Eighth Avenue Southwest. Officers couldn’t determine what the writing said, and there didn’t appear to be permanent damage to the structure.

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